Tourists aid victim slashed in violent Fourth Street Live knife attack

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - After a violent incident just after midnight on Tuesday, a group of visitors came to the aid of a man who had his throat slashed at Fourth Street Live.

Sean Coats, 37, was charged with two counts of assault and one count of attempted murder in connection to the attack.

Coats told officers he had attacked two men from behind and used a knife to cut their throats. He also identified himself on security video.

Shortly after the attack, a group of tourists within Fourth Street Live aided one of the victims and possibly saved his life.

They said they thought it was a Halloween prank when the man approached them asking for help.

Army Lt. Col. Luis Lugo is the director of the Uniformed Services University’s Department of Laboratory Animal Resources in Maryland.

He and other active and former military personnel were in Louisville attending the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science National Meeting at the Kentucky International Convention Center.

Everyone in Lugo’s group had medical training.

“We put a lot of pressure on him and we had him sit down,” Lugo said. “Because of that we were able to stop the bleeding. We told him, ‘We were able to stop the bleeding, so stay down, you’re going to be OK.’”

Lugo, Lt. Col. Krinon Moccia and Ret. Master Sergeant Michael Junio visited the victim in the hospital Wednesday.

“It was really emotional I didn’t think that I had so many emotions bottled up,” Moccia said. “But the last picture that all of us having our minds was this picture of this man who thought he was going to die. And then to see him later today was really incredible.”

“He was actually very happy,” Lugo said. “He was telling us, ‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart.’ And he asked to hug us. And then we just hugged him together. And it was very emotional, it was incredible.”

Another victim from the attack has since been treated and released from the hospital.

Coats was arraigned on Wednesday morning, where he plead not guilty to the charges. A judge placed his bond at $1,000,000.

He is due back in court on Nov. 3.

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